Energy & Environment

Linden, N.J. – – September 29, 2026 -- Members of Teamsters Local 877 at the Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery voted by a 92 percent margin to authorize a strike, putting the largest oil refinery on the East Coast at risk of a labor disruption as its current contract expires Oct. 1.

385 process and mechanical workers reject proposed safety and probation changes

The bargaining unit covers 385 process and mechanical workers who are pushing for higher wages, stronger benefits and reliable paid time off. Phillips 66 has proposed shortening the current 30-month training period and reducing qualification requirements, according to the union. Management also proposed extending probationary status tied to qualification milestones that could take up to six years to complete, replacing the existing 10-month probationary period.

Akron, Ohio – September 29, 2026 -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) declared a quarterly dividend of 46.5 cents per share of outstanding common stock, payable December 1, 2026.

Board sets record date for shareholder payout

Shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 6, 2026, will be eligible to receive the payment. The declaration was approved by FirstEnergy's Board of Directors.

Utility serves more than 6 million customers across six states

FirstEnergy's electric distribution companies form one of the largest investor-owned electric systems in the United States, serving over 6 million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines linking the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Knoxville, Tenn. – – September 29, 2026 -- The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a construction permit for Clinch River Unit 1, making the Tennessee Valley Authority the first U.S. utility cleared to build a GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR). The permit, granted for TVA's Clinch River Nuclear Site near Oak Ridge, Tenn., marks only the second advanced reactor construction permit ever issued in the country.

NRC clears path for 300-megawatt reactor ahead of schedule

TVA said the NRC's evaluation process allowed the permit to be issued earlier than anticipated, a move officials framed as evidence of streamlined federal licensing for advanced nuclear technology. No construction start date has been announced.

"This construction permit is more than a regulatory achievement – it's foundational for America's nuclear future," said Mike Skaggs, TVA Interim President & CEO.

Oakland, Calif. – September 29, 2026 -- The PG&E Corporation Foundation is directing $1.32 million in shareholder-funded grants to more than 50 food banks, tribal food banks and senior meal programs across 45 California counties, an amount expected to provide the equivalent of approximately 3.13 million meals.

The funding, timed to Hunger Action Month, is financed entirely by PG&E shareholders and will not be recovered through customer utility rates.

One in five Californians face food insecurity despite the state's agricultural output

The California Association of Food Banks reports that roughly 8.8 million Californians experience food insecurity, even as the state produces nearly half of the nation's fruits and vegetables. Rising housing and grocery costs are pushing communities of color, seniors and working families toward food assistance for the first time, with food banks reporting record demand.

Charleston, W.Va. – September 29, 2026 -- West Virginia American Water has rolled out FlowCam flow-imaging technology to rapidly detect algae and cyanobacteria in source-water samples, part of a broader push during American Water Works Association's Source Water Protection Week (September 27 to October 3) to reduce contamination risks and treatment costs across its supply network.

The utility, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), serves approximately 610,000 people in the state and employs around 315 people.

FlowCam imaging enables earlier detection of biological changes in water supplies

The flow-imaging system captures high-resolution images of algae and cyanobacteria, allowing faster organism classification and enumeration. This supports quicker treatment decisions before contamination escalates.

Beijing – September 29, 2026 -- ReTo Eco-Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: RETO) will cut its outstanding Class A share count from 145,814,975 to approximately 7,290,749 through a 20-to-1 reverse share consolidation, with post-combination trading starting October 2, 2026.

Board approves reverse split to lift share price above Nasdaq minimum

ReTo's board approved the combination to raise the market price per Class A share, a move the company states is intended to help it maintain its Nasdaq Capital Market listing. The shares will keep trading under the ticker "RETO" but will carry a new CUSIP number, G75271158.

No par value changes, no shareholder vote required

The par value of the Class A Shares remains unaffected by the consolidation. Because ReTo is incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, the transaction does not require shareholder approval and will proceed automatically without any action from holders.

Philadelphia – September 29, 2026 -- ConnectDER, a manufacturer of meter socket adapters (MSAs) for solar, battery, and EV charging installations, has named Chad Conway as VP of Product to lead development of its flagship IslandDER product line launched in 2025.

Conway brings 15 years of clean-energy hardware experience from SPAN and Tesla

Conway was a founding team member and Head of Products at SPAN, the smart electric panel maker, where he led the SPAN Panel from concept to installations in thousands of U.S. homes. Before SPAN, he spent six years on Tesla's Energy team helping scale the Powerwall to more than 50,000 annual deployments, including post-Hurricane Irma and Maria recovery work with local communities in Puerto Rico.

Calgary, AB – – September 29, 2026 -- Canadian oil sands production is projected to average a record 3.5 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2026, a 100,000 b/d increase of 3% over the prior year, according to S&P Global Energy's latest 10-year production outlook. Output is forecast to climb further to 3.9 million b/d by the early 2030s.

Production has grown almost every year since 2001, when output stood at just 300,000 b/d

The only exception was 2020, when COVID-19 disrupted demand. Most of the 2026 gains stem from optimization of existing facilities rather than new construction, S&P Global Energy said.

Marina del Rey, Calif. – September 29, 2026 -- CommanderAI has launched a mobile app for iOS and Android that extends its AI-powered sales and CRM platform to field representatives in the waste, recycling, and scrap industries, letting reps prospect and close accounts directly from trucks and job sites.

Reps convert roadside sightings into leads with photo-to-lead capture

The app allows a field sales representative to photograph a sign, a truck, or a job site and automatically generate a new prospect record, populated with company and decision-maker data. Outreach can begin on the spot, closing a gap that previously forced reps to log opportunities in notebooks until they returned to a desk.

Toronto – September 29, 2026 -- PowerBank Corporation (NASDAQ: PBK) posted a 34.7% gross margin for fiscal year 2026, up from 25.3% a year earlier, as the renewable energy developer shifted from selling projects to retaining ownership of its power portfolio.

Revenue fell to $27.4 million but profitability metrics improved sharply

Revenue for the twelve months ended June 30, 2026 dropped to $27.4 million from $41.5 million in FY2025, reflecting the Company's pivot away from development-and-EPC sales toward long-term asset ownership. Despite the top-line decline, gross profit reached $9.5 million versus $10.5 million a year prior. Net loss narrowed to $24.3 million, or $(0.58) per basic share, from $31.1 million, or $(0.97) per share, in FY2025. Adjusted EBITDA fell to a loss of $3.5 million from a loss of $0.8 million, driven by lower development and EPC revenue alongside higher operating expenses.